The present invention relates broadly to motion upholstery furniture designed to support a user's body in an essentially seated disposition. Motion upholstery furniture includes recliners, incliners, sofas, love seats, sectionals, theater seating, traditional chairs, and chairs with a moveable seat portion, such furniture pieces being referred to herein generally as “seating units.” More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved seat-lift assembly developed over conventional seat-lift assemblies in the field that lift the entire seating unit off the floor. The improved seat-lift assembly of the present invention provides for raising the seat frame with respect to the seating unit.
Seat lifting units that exist, push a seating unit up from its base frame to assist the user to move into a standing position. In the case of reclining and lifting seating units, these existing seating units typically provide three basic positions (e.g., a standard, nonreclined closed position; an extended position; and a reclined position), and a seat-lift position as well. In the closed position, the seat resides in a generally horizontal orientation and the backrest is disposed substantially upright. Additionally, if the seating unit includes an ottoman attached with a mechanical arrangement, the mechanical arrangement is collapsed such that the ottoman is not extended. In the extended position, often referred to as a television (“TV”) position, the ottoman is extended forward and the backrest is partly reclined to permit comfortable television viewing by an occupant of the seating unit. In the reclined position the backrest is positioned rearward from the extended position into an obtuse relationship with the seat for lounging or sleeping. In the seat-lift position, a seat linkage mechanism of the seating unit is typically adjusted to the closed position and a seat-lift assembly raises and tilts forward the seating unit in order to facilitate entry thereto and exit therefrom.
Yet, in order to provide the adjustment capability described above, these existing seat-lift assemblies require raising the entire seating unit off the floor. In particular, the geometry of these seat-lift assemblies imposes constraints on raising the seat frame with respect to the seating unit. Moreover, lifting the entire seating unit from its base frame creates an opportunity for persons, pets or other foreign objects to become trapped underneath when the seating unit is lowered. In view of the above, a more refined seat-lift assembly that achieves raising a seat frame with respect to a seating unit would fill a void in the current field of motion-upholstery technology. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention pertain to a novel seat-lift assembly that is constructed in a simple and refined arrangement in order to provide suitable function while overcoming the above-described, undesirable features inherent within the conventional seat-lift assemblies.